Photo File: China’s Flag

China has announced the suspension of “special port fees” on United States vessels for one year, marking another step in easing trade tensions between the two economic superpowers.

The move, which took effect at 13:01 (05:01 GMT) on Monday, coincides with Washington’s decision to pause levies on Chinese ships as part of a fragile trade truce.

According to a statement from China’s Ministry of Transport, the suspension applies to ships “operated by or built in the United States” visiting Chinese ports. The gesture reflects both sides’ efforts to de-escalate a tariff dispute that has disrupted global supply chains for months.

The United States and China agreed to roll back some punitive trade measures after Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump met last month in South Korea. Before the truce, reciprocal duties had reached triple-digit levels, severely hampering trade between the world’s two largest economies.

In a related development, China’s Ministry of Commerce said it would also suspend sanctions against five US subsidiaries of South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean, one of the world’s largest shipbuilders. The one-year suspension, effective November 10, followed the US decision to halt port fees on Chinese-built and operated ships.

“In light of this (US suspension)… China has decided to suspend the relevant measures,” the commerce ministry said in an online statement.

Beijing had sanctioned Hanwha subsidiaries in October, accusing them of supporting a US “Section 301” investigation that deemed China’s dominance in global shipbuilding “unreasonable.” Chinese organisations and individuals were previously barred from working with Hanwha’s American affiliates, including Hanwha Shipping LLC and Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc.

The ministry added that a planned probe into whether the US investigation threatened China’s shipbuilding “security and development interests” has also been shelved for one year.

The latest actions signal continued diplomatic engagement between Beijing and Washington. Last week, China extended the suspension of additional tariffs on US goods, maintaining them at 10 percent for another year. It also lifted certain tariffs on soybeans and other US agricultural imports.

Beijing has further suspended its export bans on gallium, germanium, and antimony — metals critical to semiconductor and defense industries — and agreed to pause restrictions on the export of rare earth technology.

In return, Washington announced a one-year suspension of export restrictions on foreign affiliates with at least a 50 per cent US ownership stake, according to the Chinese commerce ministry.

Together, these reciprocal steps mark a cautious but notable thaw in US-China economic relations as both nations navigate the delicate process of rebuilding trust amid a years-long trade war.